The Women: A Novel

THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah is an absolute tour de force women’s fiction story that gives the reader an immersive look into the lives of military nurses during the Vietnam War and their various struggles on the front and on their return stateside. While the story features three women, the focus is on the coming-of-age story of one young nurse from Southern California.

Frances “Frankie” McGrath has led an idyllic middle class conservative life growing up and running free with her older brother on Coronado Island. Her brother goes to Vietnam after graduating from the Naval Academy, while Frankie is graduated from nursing school, but she wants more. She enlists in the Army Nurse Corps to be overseas with her brother.

Completely unprepared for the chaos, she is trained and helped by both her roommates. Every day brings new horror and terror, but also moments of hope and friendships that will last well past the war. Frankie soon becomes a vital member of the surgical trauma team.

When she returns home, she finds an America in upheaval and a family and unable to help her cope or even understand her trauma. Her friends always come to help when called, but Frankie has psychological wounds that must be faced on her own before she can really find peace.

This story elicits every emotion, and I was immersed in every scene from the horrors of war to emotional breakdowns and PTSD to redemption. The research is evident with the major conflicts of the times being as present in the story as the personal reactions of the main characters. Being from a family with many males who have served in every war, it pained me deeply when Frankie had so much trouble being recognized by the VA and other male combat soldiers, unless they had received care from the nurses overseas. I watched this war every night on the news while in junior high and high school and while my family wanted peace, I never hated the soldiers for serving, but I know now that many did, and it only added to their trauma returning home. Ms. Hannah brought these characters to life on the page as well as every location and time period.

I highly recommend this gripping and memorable women’s fiction!

No one, and I do mean NO ONE, weaves a story together into a beautiful tapestry quite like Kristin Hannah. I’ve been looking forward to this book’s release for months simply because I know this about the author. Every single one of her books I’ve read has taken me on an incredible journey to another time that has left me reeling in some unimaginable way. And this one did not disappoint. I completely devoured it over the past two days.

I am grateful for the hours upon hours of research, including what must have been riveting first-person accounts from women and men who were there to experience this time in history, that Kristin Hannah undoubtedly dedicated into creating this beautiful masterpiece of a story. She makes it feel real. Genuine. Meaningful. And it deserves 100 stars, at least.

Why?

It’s absolutely brimming with palpable emotion. Every laugh, every tear, every dream, every struggle, every love, every fear, every sorrow, and every heartbreak felt by Frankie was real and raw and untethered within me. It was the best kind of connection a reader can possibly feel with a character.

It’s absolutely brimming with a part of history that I simply did not know, was never taught in school — the Vietnam War era. The vivid description of Frankie’s time as an Army nurse “in country” was brutal and horrific and utterly shocking, which made it all the more believable and relatable. My heart pounded through the mortar attacks and constant gunfire and bombings. My ears echoed with the thwump, thwump, thwump of the helicopters bringing push after push of wounded soldiers in for emergency treatment. My eyes burned with the imprint of gushing blood and severed limbs and eviscerated bodies of those wounded, terrified, crying soldiers. Some were saved. Most were lost. All were important. And my heart broke every time Frankie held a dying soldier’s hand, promising to write to his wife. Or his girlfriend. Or his sister. Or his mom.

It’s absolutely brimming with the shameful reality that our Vietnam Veterans faced when they returned home from duty. Spat on. Ridiculed. Jeered at. Hated. By their fellow Americans, no less. They were heroes, but they were treated as second-class citizens. Peons. It’s appalling and unfathomable to me.

Finally, it’s absolutely brimming with strong, heroic, kick-a$$ women. Women who shared a life-altering experience that was the best time of their lives. And the worst time of their lives. Women who had to fight to be seen upon their return stateside. Women who had earned a place at the heroes’ table, but were repeatedly rejected and dismissed by society. Women who had to forge their own new paths and relearn their place in the world around them. Women who, through it all, formed an unbreakable bond of friendship — a sisterhood — that crossed all the boundaries and lasted all the years of their lives. #TheWomen

This book is WORTH the hype!! In this book, Kristin Hannah takes us on a journey with Frances (Frankie) McGrath, who decides she is going to join the military as a nurse and go over to Vietnam to serve her country. She joins the army, goes to bootcamp, and then she’s sent over to start working. It’s a huge shock to her. She meets Ethel and Barb, who are her roommates and show her the ropes. But the one was one thing to deal with, coming home after was another difficult situation. Turned away by the VA when she asks for help, Frankie doesn’t know how to deal with her feelings and nightmares. Discouraged after she is constantly told that women weren’t in Vietnam, and seeing all of the protests against the Vietnam war, she tries to find her way.

I don’t even know where to begin this review. Hannah illustrates what it was like to be a women at the time – that they were supposed to get married and have babies. She also illustrates just exactly it was like to be a woman to decided to enter the military to help out. Not thought of as a real veteran. It’s heartbreaking how women during that time were treated. These women (and men) are really inspiring. They were selfless and brave. They had so much courage. I wish I could be half of what they were.

Hannah did a wonderful job describing what it was like in Vietnam for the men and women who served in their various roles. I honestly felt that I was right there along side of each of the characters. It felt scary. They never knew if that day was going to be their last, but they kept moving forward doing what was expected of them. Frankie saw some difficult situations in the hospital working as a nurse, ones that I don’t think I could ever handle.

Hannah also did a wonderful job with dealing with all of the after effects of war after a soldier/nurse comes home, especially at that time. How women were turned away from getting help, and everything that they go through in those days and years ahead.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure about this book. But it’s wonderful; it’s beautiful; it’s a must read.

The Women by Kristin Hannah was the April selection of my book club which focuses on novels featuring interesting women, usually within the historical fiction genre. The women noted by the title were US Army nurses serving in Vietnam. The story revolves around one in particular, and Hannah puts her through the ringer! We found the political and cultural context of the book interesting. All of our members were born in the 1960s, but were too young to actually know what was going on in the adult life of our country. All I remember is watching Walter Cronkite sharing the death toll of our servicemen. This book takes the reader into the dangerous world of the women who no one wanted to admit actually went to Vietnam. While many returning veterans were treated horribly, the women who risked their lives to provide healing and comfort, were also hit with abysmal treatment by the Veterans Administration. The book was definitely an eye-opener. Beautifully written, it does not shy away from the graphic side of the war, nor the obstacles and problems for those who came home. The Women is an excellent book club choice — we had a really great discussion. Please note that this novel was published for the general market. All adult warnings are included.

Recommended.

Great for Book Clubs.

Audience Adults.

(I purchased a copy of this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

In her latest masterpiece, “The Women,” Kristin Hannah once again proves her prowess in weaving narratives that resonate deeply with the human spirit. Known for her powerful storytelling in acclaimed works like “The Nightingale” and “The Four Winds,” Hannah embarks on an ambitious journey through the tumultuous era of the 1960s, presenting an intimate yet expansive portrait of a nation at the brink of transformation.

At the heart of this novel is Frances "Frankie" McGrath, a character whose development from a sheltered, idealistic nursing student into a battle-hardened Army nurse symbolizes the tumultuous era she inhabits. Frankie’s journey is a revelation, a testament to the untold stories of women who dared to step into the fray of conflict, challenging the societal norms of their time. The transformation she undergoes, fueled by the stark realities of the Vietnam War, is written with such authenticity and emotional depth that you cannot help but feel intimately connected to her struggles, triumphs, and inevitable moments of despair.

“The Women” is not just Frankie’s story; it is an ode to the countless women who, like her, ventured into the heart of darkness, armed with little more than their courage and a steadfast commitment to healing. Hannah’s portrayal of war’s chaos, the bonds forged and broken in the crucible of conflict, and the arduous journey of reintegration into a society that seems to have moved on without them is both heart-wrenching and enlightening.

What sets this novel apart is Hannah’s ability to capture the essence of an era—the music, the mood, the whirlwind of social change—and distill it through the experiences of her characters. Frankie’s return home to a divided America, her struggle to reconcile the person she has become with the nation she thought she knew, is a powerful commentary on the cost of war and the resilience of the human spirit.

While “The Women” is undeniably a work of fiction, its roots in the real-life experiences of female veterans lend it a compelling authenticity. Hannah’s meticulous research and her compassionate storytelling ensure that the novel is not only a tribute to the women of Vietnam but to all women who have faced the horrors of war with unwavering bravery.

In giving “The Women” a four-star rating, I (a female US Army veteran myself) do so with the utmost respect for Kristin Hannah’s craftsmanship and her dedication to shedding light on the often-overlooked contributions of women in war. If there is any critique to be had, it lies in wanting more—the novel, at times, leaves the reader yearning for deeper explorations into the lives of its secondary characters, each of whom could easily be the protagonist of their own compelling tale.

Ultimately, “The Women” is a profound, moving novel that not only entertains but enlightens, reminding us of the enduring strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. It is a must-read for fans of historical fiction and for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of a pivotal moment in American history through the eyes of those who lived it.